Irregular work hours, extensive travel and plenty of patience. A coach may never stop cribbing about his job but victory at the end of the day makes it worth the pain.

Coaching is a business that can be started without large overheads.

Since training athletes is often a part-time job, you can find ways to bring in additional income.

You can become a personal coach to some famous sportsperson and voila! You’re famous (and hopefully rich) already.

Your role will depend on whether you are coaching a team sport or a solo sport. You will not only need to train athletes physically, it is up to you to instill good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit and teamwork. As Greg Chappell found out when he was given the boot.

There’s no secret that coaches are hated. Your team will only realise how beneficial you are when the cup comes home. Don’t stress too much about Bob Woolmer: chances are, you won’t be in as tricky a situation as him.

If you’re lucky, becoming a coach will do wonders for your image. Just look at how great Shah Rukh Khan looks!

Karo Christine Kumar